Yip in, Jones out for Avalanche vs. San Jose

Brandon Yip (18) will be back on the ice when the Avalanche host San Jose tonight. ( | )

Avalanche coach Joe Sacco this morning said he again would have seven defensemen and 11 forwards in his lineup tonight against San Jose at the Pepsi Center, and that his healthy scratch would be either center Kevin Porter or winger David Van der Gulik.

Winger Brandon Yip, who has missed the last two games with a groin muscle problem, went through the skate and will be in the lineup tonight, but winger David Jones, who suffered a bruised arm against the New York Rangers Monday night, wasn't on the ice and won't play tonight. Sacco said Jones still was "day to day."

Van der Gulik, 27, was recalled from the Lake Erie Monsters. He was at the Avs' morning skate today and afterward said he had gotten the news of his recall after a 3-0 loss at Oklahoma City Tuesday night. He arrived in Denver on Wednesday afternoon.

If Van der Gulik, a former Boston University captain signed as a free agent last summer after spending four years in the Calgary organization, plays tonight, Sacco said he would be looking for "energy" from him.

"I think he's the type of forward who can maybe give us some good quality minutes in that fourth line role and be responsible defensively," Sacco added. "And also I know from talking to David Quinn, our head coach at Lake Erie, that (Van der Gulik) has done a real nice job of killing penalties for them. You can never have too many of those guys around."

Rockies are on pace to lose 93 games this seasonThe Rockies lost three of four in St. Louis and are on pace to lose 93 games as they come home for a three-game series with Seattle before going back on the road again to face Washington.